Turning Point
Taken from a friends facebook notes
I promise I only ask once a year.....
by Joe Kvidera on Tuesday, August 2, 2011 at 5:53pm
comprehensive domestic violence agency and shelter. Coming up on August 12th
& 13th, we’re holding our huge annual fundraiser “Take a Stand for Tuning
Point.” It’s a massive event that involves our local radio station Star
105.5, a couple dozen local businesses and service groups, over 100
volunteers and hundreds and hundreds of donors. It’s always a little
awe-inspiring to see all the people turn out and pitch in. It’s like the
last minutes of “It’s a Wonderful Life” where all the friends and neighbors
pitch in with a dollar, or some change- whatever they can spare- to make
sure the old Building and Loan survives.
This will be the sixth year we’ve done this event and it never fails to
amaze me. People come by to tell us thank you for what Turning Point has
done for them or their mother or their sister or their friend or their
co-worker or….or….or…or. And then there are the people who come down because
they heard us on the radio and never knew Turning Point existed…and they
need our help.
In the last year, our advocates responded to 5,862 hotline calls. These are
calls from people in a bind- in fact many of the calls are not domestic
violence related. Folks call because they are in trouble, they know our name
and know we can help. The majority of these calls get referred to other
social service or government offices that can provide assistance: Turning
Point advocates listen, assess and help the callers to find the help they
need.
And then there are all the callers that DO need our help: In the past year
we’ve served 1,825 clients, wrote 694 Orders of Protection and even
continued our work with another local agency, the Home of the Sparrow, to
provide transitional housing for those clients who are ready to leave our
shelter and start new, healthier, safer lives in new homes.
And speaking of that shelter, it has been at or near capacity recently-
tough times stress families in all ways and we’ve had a decided upswing in
clients that need shelter, food or other assistance to survive. Doing more
with less is our daily goal.
But we can’t do everything with nothing! Here’s where you come in. If you
can help, this is the time to do it. No donation is too small or too big:
• $5 can buy a ream of printer paper that might be used to write an
order of protection, stopping the violence in one home for one family.
• $50 provides one session of counseling for a victim in crisis: One
session might connect her to services that could potentially save her life.
• $600 is enough to provide crisis intervention, legal advocacy, and
non-legal advocacy for one “walk-in” victim of domestic violence who comes
to Turning Point for help rebuilding her life.
• $1800 provides a full course of counseling for a child who has
witnessed or experienced violence in their home. Children in abusive homes
tend to model their parents and grow up to be in abusive relationships as
adults without counseling and early intervention.
• $2,700 provides emergency shelter and supportive services for one
victim of domestic violence who had to flee their home in order to be safe.
Staying in the Turning Point Shelter isn’t just “bed & board”- Residents get
individual and group counseling and often job training, parenting classes,
financial counseling- whatever they need to successfully transition to
peaceful, healthy homes of their own. In the short term, that shelter saves
lives; in the long term, staying there can also CHANGE lives.
There are several ways you can make a donation (which is tax deductible as
allowed by law):
1. Write a check and mail it to Turning Point, PO Box 723, Woodstock IL
60098.
2. Make an on-line donation by going to
http://www.mchenrycountyturningpoint.org/ You can click on that “Donate Now”
link and make a contribution with a credit or bank card. Please consider
setting up a monthly donation; $10 a month over the course of a year makes a
HUGE impact on our finances. (There is also a lot more information about
Turning Point there!)
3. If you are on Facebook, you can visit the Turning Point Cause page,
become a supporter and make an online contribution there.
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/332897?m=91e6b129
4. The event is held LIVE on air Friday August 12th and Saturday
August 13th .You can stop by Sam’s Club in Crystal Lake and make a donation
in person. Or call in (during those two days only- phones are live 6 AM
Friday until 6 PM Saturday ONLY) on our donation hot lines (815) 914 0618 or
(815) 914 0930- Tell ‘em Joe sent you!
5. Or call Turning Point during business hours and give us the
information: (815) 338 8081.
6. This year, we’ve got a whole bunch of other ways to help. There is a
clothing drive Saturday the 6th. We’re doing a “McCare Night” with 7 local
McDonalds and a “Dine out event” with Julie Ann’s Frozen Custard, Colonial
Café, Jersey Mike’s Subs and Noodles & Company all on Route 14 in Crystal
Lake on Wednesday August 10th. We’ve even got a daycare center doing a car
wash for us- see what I mean about how all those different folks all pitch
in for us? You can read all about what’s going on at the Turning Point Blog.
http://www.mchenrycountyturningpoint.org/blog/?p=3181. If you can buy a sub
or bring us your used clothes, it will earn us some money and we’d
appreciate it!
I know times are hard all over- If you can help, thank you. If not, I sure
do understand. If you can, please pass this on to your E-mail list or
Facebook friends. As part of us “doing more with less”, we try to spend as
little money as possible on fund raising and a message like this one is a
free way to reach folks so we don’t have to resort to expensive events or
buying a mailing list to reach new donors.
Thanks so much!!
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